In order to initiate the start-up of low pressure luminous tubes (fluoroescent tubes) it has been customary to provide so-called glow starters which perform an automatic sequence of functions which result in the closure and interruption of the electrical contact of the tube. These starters also preheat the customary thermionic twisted filaments in the tube, thereby substantially reducing the voltage peak necessary for ignition of the gas discharge, for example to a region between 400 and approximately 2,000 volts. It is generally necessary for the known starters to perform a number of different switch closing and opening cycles which follow one another at periods of approximately 1 second. Only if the opening of the contact happens to occur at or near the peak of the generally sinusoidal current does a single switch opening suffice in order to initiate ignition of the gas discharge lamp. After ignition has occurred, the glow starter terminates its contact opening and closing function because the voltage required for the operation is equal to the full line voltage (220 volts in Europe, 110 volts in the U.S.) whereas the operating voltage of the discharge lamp is only approximately half the nominal line voltage, i.e., 110 volts and 55 volts, respectively.